TEDx Talk: WOLA’s Adriana Beltrán on How the Fight against Corruption and Impunity Can Be Won

Over the past year, Guatemala has carried out one of the most remarkable campaigns against corruption and organized crime. The 2015 investigations into massive fraud scandals led to the arrest of more than 200 public officials, including the president, vice president, cabinet ministers, judges, and legislators.

These efforts have been spearheaded by the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (Comisión Internacional contra la Impunidad en Guatemala, CICIG) a groundbreaking independent agency created to investigate, prosecute, and ultimately dismantle criminal and corrupt networks.

Last fall, TEDxMidAtlantic invited WOLA’s citizen security expert Adriana Beltrán to tell the story of the campaign against corruption in Guatemala—how it came about, its impact, and what lessons can be learned.

The just-released video of Adriana Beltrán’s TEDx talk shows that justice can prevail, and that corruption and impunity are not insurmountable.

Much still remains to be done. The CICIG continues to do its work to bring an end to impunity. And WOLA’s Adriana Beltrán has recently launched the Central American Aid Monitor to ensure that increased U.S. assistance to the region will support efforts to fight corruption and strengthen the rule of law.